Chapter 121

Chapter 121
Chapter 121: Never Mind The Heir, I’ll Focus On Healing

Rikschel kept his gaze fixed on the lingering redness in Lion’s eyes.

*Is it okay to ask my older brother a question right now?*

A wave of nervous apprehension swept through his thoughts.

What on earth could be running through his head to produce that specific expression?

Could my older brother possibly be plotting to infiltrate the temple?

Or is he planning to invent something like a ‘Divine Power Blocking Potion’ capable of disrupting temple rituals…

*Or maybe not…*

His unease stemmed entirely from his complete inability to read his brother’s intentions.

More importantly, even if he did guess correctly, it would hardly serve as a permanent fix.

Sensing Rikschel’s distress, Lion quickly relaxed his features and offered reassurance.

“Rikschel, I’m not hatching any bizarre schemes.”

“I apologize. It’s simply that this is my first time witnessing you react this way… I’m having trouble steadying my nerves.”

“Actually, it’s quite straightforward. I merely intended to request a basic background investigation…”

“Ah.”

The request proved far more mundane than anticipated.

Rikschel experienced a brief flash of confusion before releasing a heavy breath of relief.

“I assumed it was something far more drastic… Whew. Understood. What kind of investigation should I conduct?”

“Hmm? Oh, oh yeah.”

This time, it was Lion who found himself caught off guard.

*…Why is he reacting with such relief over a background check?*

Just what does Rikschel usually get up to?

Though he longed to ask, moving forward with the discussion took precedence.

“To begin with, I need you to look into Peter’s adoptive parents.”

“Indeed.”

Rikschel gave a slow nod.

While Peter trusted the couple who adopted him, they had no obligation to extend that same trust.

The world was full of individuals who adopted children solely to turn around and sell them to slave traders.

Even when dealing with candidates carefully vetted by the temple, there was always room for a ‘what if.’

What if these people discovered the boy possessed divine power?

Should they prove to be unscrupulous, they might easily use Peter to extort a ransom or simply hand him over to the temple.

It certainly warranted a thorough investigation flavored with suspicion… yet.

*What is the next step after that?*

Regardless of whether the adoptive parents turned out to be saints or scoundrels, the subsequent dilemma remained identical.

Unless the fundamental issue of his divine power was resolved, Peter’s ultimate destination would be service as a temple priest.

For reasons unknown, the temple had a persistent demand for those capable of wielding divine power.

Approaching the situation from that angle naturally triggered a cascade of questions.

*Strange.*

First of all, why now?

If the temple genuinely required divine power, they could have claimed Peter at any point prior to this.

After all, Peter resided in an orphanage directly administered by the temple.

It was an environment firmly within the temple’s sphere of influence, and hadn’t an ‘Archbishop candidate’ named Rikschel visited the very same place?

Under those circumstances, they would have been well aware of Peter’s divine gift from the start.

In that case, right from the beginning—before Peter was ever put up for adoption, or even when he first arrived at this orphanage—could the temple not have stepped in and taken him?

*Yet suddenly they’re complicating the procedures and chattering about a ‘ritual’?*

And all of this conveniently coincides with the appearance of temple-arranged adopters?

Nothing of the sort had ever occurred previously.

Although the temple’s adoption protocols were notoriously complex, they wouldn’t bother conducting a formal ritual unless the divine power in question possessed significant weight.

And secondly.

*I was under the impression the priest stated he lacked divine power.*

An official holding the rank of a proper priest ought to have been fully capable of detecting whether a child held divine capabilities.

And yet, they had explicitly comforted the adoptive parents with assurances that Peter was completely fine.

It reeked of deception.

The suspicious atmosphere strongly suggested an attempt to maneuver Peter into the priesthood amid a cloud of confusion.

Lion nodded as though he could hear the gears turning in Rikschel’s mind.

“Doesn’t it strike you as odd?”

“Yes. It is undeniably strange.”

The final unsettling element was the location itself—this was the sovereign territory of the prestigious magic household, Asteri.

Peter’s level of divine power was hardly earth-shattering.

Even for an adoption ‘personally orchestrated by the temple,’ they could not simply disregard the stance of the ruling territory.

Unless the temple leadership had completely lost their minds, they would never stir up such a commotion inside Asteri Territory merely to secure a single talent of ‘official priest’ caliber.

“Naturally, I hope our suspicions prove groundless, but…”

An uncalled-for ritual paired with a blatant falsehood from a member of the clergy.

That combination alone provided ample justification to view the temple with a wary eye.

Rikschel lifted his chin, gazing off in the direction where the temple stood.

“There are two primary reasons an institution like the temple might suddenly scramble for human resources. Either a fierce competition has broken out…”

Or else something attainable exclusively through human resources had grown scarce.

Namely, the supply of divine power itself.

*I sincerely hope that isn’t the case.*

Even for the heir to a renowned lineage of mages, a shrinking reservoir of global divine power was a deeply alarming prospect.

The depletion of divine power served as a direct indicator of strengthening demonic energy.

And what had happened the last time that energy reached its peak?

*The demon race launched an invasion.*

Followed by total war.

Bareilly half a century had passed since those events.

…Even if it remained mere speculation unsupported by concrete proof, he recognized that this single realization fundamentally altered the temple’s trajectory.

This extended far beyond Peter’s individual circumstances; it was an issue the family as a whole needed to monitor closely.

*And if that premise holds true…*

Rikschel’s expression hardened into frost.

*It directly violates our agreement.*

A solemn pact existed between the temple and the prominent magic families.

Any emergence of a crisis concerning the very nature of divine power was supposed to trigger an immediate report and joint cooperative efforts toward a resolution.

That covenant had been forged between the Family Head and the Saintess during the height of the war.

However, the complete absence of any communication up to this point implied the temple might well have reneged on that promise.

He possessed every right to lodge a formal grievance.

Should he choose to do so, rescuing Peter from the temple’s clutches would happen quite naturally.

“At any rate, it is certainly worth looking into, wouldn’t you say?”

“…”

Could my older brother really have deduced all of this merely from a conversation with Peter?

*He most certainly did.*

His capacity to extract the broader picture from minute details remained truly staggering.

If he provided the vision, filling in the remaining pieces of the puzzle would be my responsibility.

Overflowing with reverence for his older brother, Rikschel posed his next question with fierce resolve.

“…How much time remains before the ritual takes place?”

“They mentioned a week. Make sure you have the gathered intelligence by then.”

“Understood.”

“I’m counting on you.”

The moment the words left his mouth, Rikschel turned sharply and strode back toward the mansion.

Lion…

“Hoo.”

Exhaled a long, measured breath.

While he would have preferred a simpler, more celebratory outcome, the situation appeared to have spiraled into something much larger.

A bitter taste lingered in Lion’s mouth for no discernible reason.

The child he had struggled to raise now seemed trapped in the center of a swirling vortex.

*From a macro perspective, becoming a priest might actually offer a safer harbor than ordinary adoption…*

In truth, official priests enjoyed status equivalent to nobility, never had to worry about missing a meal, and could utilize their divine gifts to assist others.

Even so, it was definitively not the path Peter desired for himself.

Furthermore, divine power was not something that simply vanished once manifested; Peter could always choose to walk the path of a priest later in life, after he had grown and built happy memories alongside his family.

*Therefore, my first priority must be finding a way to keep him out of the temple’s hands.*

Yet how could he achieve that effectively?

As Lion wrestled with strategies to pluck Peter from the brewing storm, a voice interrupted his thoughts.

“Older brother.”

“Hm?”

Rikschel, whom he assumed had already departed, reappeared to address him.

“There is one more detail I neglected to mention.”

“What is it?”

“…”

Rikschel hesitated right up until the threshold of speaking.

It was information he had deliberately withheld, rather than simply forgotten.

The topic concerned Rikschel himself.

Specifically, his status as a candidate for Archbishop.

“Do you recall the priest who administered your healing treatment previously?”

“Ah. That individual? I remember.”

“Yes. Actually, he…”

“Actually?”

*Groan.*

Rikschel faltered once more before forcing the words out.

“He is recognized as a candidate for the position of Archbishop.”

“Hmm?”

This constituted entirely new intelligence.

*Wait, if that is the case…*

A missing puzzle piece clicked neatly into place within Lion’s mind.

Rikschel, the Archbishop candidate.

Furthermore, the children selected via temple rituals were traditionally designated as either the ‘Saintess’ or the ‘current Archbishop candidate.’

And word had it that this particular ritual would be personally overseen by that very same Archbishop candidate.

If things played out favorably…

*I might actually be able to secure some leverage!*

A broad grin spread across Lion’s face at the welcome news.

That smile, however, immediately filled Rikschel with deep unease.

Whenever my older brother wears an expression like that, it invariably means he is about to embark on something thoroughly reckless.

“Rikschel.”

“Yes, older brother.”

“I believe I need to visit the temple myself this time.”

“…What?!”

—

“That priest? Word just reached us that he will be visiting again today.”

Upon being questioned about the priest, the orphanage director readily supplied every detail within his knowledge.

Though infrequent, the man made a point of stopping by whenever his schedule permitted to check on the welfare of the children and tend to any minor injuries.

“He mentioned coming from an orphanage background himself, which gives him a deep sense of affection for the little ones.”

“Is that so?”

“Indeed. That only makes it easier for everyone to grow fond of him. Haha.”

“Would it be permissible for me to drop by today?”

“Of course! He frequently asks after the Young Master’s well-being anyway, so I am certain he will be delighted to see you!”

Lion nodded, remaining seated on the floor as he continued assembling block towers alongside Peter.

“Have you met him as well?”

“Yeah. But he usually only visits when I’m fast asleep, so I don’t really know him very well. *Yawn*.”

As twilight approached and the long hours of block-building caught up with him, Peter’s eyelids began to droop with fatigue.

He had spent the entire day running about and playing in various corners of the grounds, after all.

“It’s nearly time to pack these away and get some rest. You’ll need your energy to meet the priest, too.”

“Okay! Today was an absolute blast. I’m going to play with these blocks forever!”

“If they break, I’ll repair them at no charge, so go ahead and enjoy them to your heart’s content without a worry.”

At the playful remark, Peter giggled softly while neatly gathering the blocks into a pile.

“I’ll invite you over to play once I’m all settled, then.”

“…Alright. Please do make sure to invite me.”

Bidding Peter farewell, Lion rose to his feet and walked toward his usual quiet quarters.

The orphanage director, having already set a cup of warm water on the table just as before, uttered a sharp “Ah!” as if a sudden memory had broken through.

“Now that I think about it, there was a mention of something similar in his recent letter as well.”

“What kind of mention?”

“He wrote that he caught a glimpse of your younger sibling in a dream, and that he desperately wished to meet them again. The phrasing was much the same as always, but that particular day carried an unusually earnest tone… I completely slipped my mind until just this second.”

Remarking on how fortunate his visit was, the orphanage director chuckled and stepped out, the door latching shut with a crisp click.

Left alone in the silent room, Lion sank into deep reflection.

*He wanted to meet Rikschel?*

He had explicitly noted previously that the priest’s dreams possessed precognitive qualities.

*What an extraordinary coincidence…*

Given Rikschel’s promise to finish his assignment post-haste and head to the temple, he figured he might finally receive a comprehensive explanation of the situation then.

Sipping the warm water, Lion settled in to wait for Rikschel.

True to form, the door swung open without a sound…

“It has been quite some time.”

A calm, soothing voice broke the quiet.

“Ah, Father. Today, my younger sibling happens to be occupied.”

Lion glanced briefly toward the window before turning his head to offer a welcoming nod to Rikschel.

However…

“…”

Rikschel’s expression carried a decidedly strange quality.

He looked utterly shell-shocked…

“Father?”